I. Introduction
Roleplaying is something that exists both in and out of Avalon. It both pre-dates and permeates the game. It is also the subject of considerable debate (both within and without the context of Avalon, but here we are only concerned with the former). As part of an ongoing conversation with Narissa, and subsequent to her becoming a moderator, I have decided to post a roleplaying guide. Let me start by explaining a few things: in particular, my motivation, my own history and experience with roleplaying (so you can get a sense of where I’m coming from when I write this), and a short explanation of what (I think) this guide is as well as what it isn’t.
Narissa and several others are concerned with the amount and type of roleplaying that exists currently in Avalon. It might also be noted that there are others in the game who don’t seem to care about roleplaying at all, or would just as soon it didn’t exist. I came to Avalon from a background of pen-and-paper roleplaying -- I got my start on good old D&D -- and, as such, I have my own distinct opinions on the matter. The way I see it, these sorts of differences emerge from the existence of three basic archetypes of roleplayers in Avalon (in a very general sense):
1. Those who have roleplayed in other environments than Avalon. This may be people who had prior experience before coming in (like myself), or people who learned to roleplay in Avalon and went on to other things, subsequently modifying their style.
2. Those who have only roleplayed in Avalon. Because of the stylistic bias that’s probably inherent to any roleplaying environment, these people are going to have some ‘quirky’ opinions from the point-of-view of a Type 1 player. These differences may surface in the discussion, so we all need to be aware of them. We’ll try to iron them out as best we can.
3. Those who don’t roleplay at all. Hopefully we can convert all these people to Type 2 players before long!
Avalon is an interesting environment for roleplaying because in some sense roleplay is both ‘built into’ and ‘built out of’ the game, if you’ll permit me the metaphor. Roleplaying is distinctly a part of Avalon, and it cannot be otherwise. For what I presume is Genesis’ view on the matter, see the following quotes from the help system:
There is no distinction in Avalon between role and real. You will find the Gods especially are not interested in the neat distinction between in-character and out-of-character. There is no difference. Within Avalon, all is one - you choose to step into this world, and while you do so, you live by its laws... You cannot simply step outside your character when things become difficult. (excerpted from ‘help concept’)
Avalon is a World - it is not simply a selection of locations containing treasure and problems to overcome. It has inhabitants (of which you are, of course, one), cities, villages, and wildlife. Even when you are not playing, there will be things going on, plots developing. To ensure that you enjoy as much as possible of this astounding world it is necessary for you to behave as if you WERE the character you are playing. To enjoy fully the complexity of Avalon you will have to treat your character as an extension of your own being - do with him/her what you would do in any particular situation. (excerpted from ‘help conduct’)
Your standing among your contemporaries is, for most people, very important. Since it is you who decides what your character says and does, all relationships which you strike up with other players will be real and continuous. Hence deciding upon a role is one of your most important decisions... Try, as often as possible, to stick to your chosen role. Ensure that decisions your character makes are consistent with its role. (excerpted from ‘help roleplay’)
I take these to be ways in which roleplay is (conceptually, at least) ‘built into’ the game. But, unfortunately, as I mentioned, there are also ways in which roleplay is ‘built out of’ it as well. Some of you may have played online games where there exists an ‘OOC channel’ or something equivalent. In general in Avalon, whatever you say (besides something in a msg, which can get expensive!) can be overheard by other players. This means that when you say anything OOC, even if you say it to someone expecting it, you risk breaking immersion for people unintentionally. If you don’t know, breaking immersion means suddenly jarring someone out of a fantasy experience; for instance, if Narissa was performing one of her (in)famous rituals, and someone sent her a tell asking her the outcome of a football game, that would break immersion not only for her, but for everyone present who was expecting an over-the-top roleplay experience.
There are also some very common things that just cannot be done in character. Reading help files is a very good example, and there are numerous others. There are ways to deal with situations like this, and I will try to illustrate some as I go on with the guide. Relating the syntax of commands is another very common and good example that I will discuss later. Additionally, there are a large amount of ‘novices’ playing at any given time who threaten to suddenly break immersion with their shouts or tells, because they do not understand the game. This is an unfortunate but entirely necessary aspect of the game, and I will try to touch on it in the guide. (It can be, on the whole, one of the hardest things to deal with if you get a particularly thick or stubborn novice.)
Finally, there are some things in Avalon which are just terribly counterintuitive given our real-life experience. In Avalon, knights carry 70 potions in their hands while smoking 3 pipes and fighting with 2 swords. In the midst of this, a bear may run by at lightning-speed pushing a cart, waving as he passes. That bear may be riding anything from a scorpion to a wyvern to a little innocent-looking chestnut pony. It may even be the case that the whole reason that pony didn't attack the bear on sight is because the bear stubbornly disbelieved that the pony had become disloyal. You get the idea. A very common thing that may be difficult for some roleplayers to explain is the ‘tell’ system. Additionally, many things that are added to Avalon have a very ad hoc feel surrounding their explanation. It’s left to the characters to interpret in an immersive way what it means to have a dream ‘prepared afresh’ for them, or the land ‘printing itself upon the mind of its creator’, or where exactly that ‘distant haven’ is where their ‘sleeping souls go to be safe’. Bugs in the game software present a similar problem. And, of course, there are many, many things that happen and given a simple, unsatisfying explanation: ‘a god (or gods) wanted it that way.’
So where does this leave us?
Well, it leaves me with a great deal of work to do, if I’m to construct this guide the way I intend. (And, as a corollary, it leaves you with a load of reading if you intend to follow it.) So let me close my extraordinarily long post with a few words on what I expect this guide will be, and what I explicitly stipulate that it isn’t.
This is a catalogue of my opinions on the matter of roleplaying, especially as it pertains (and will pertain) to Avalon. They’re just opinions, not law. They can be disagreed with, supplemented, or outright denied. Please feel free to explore my biases and my lacks of information. If there’s something you think is wrong or non-applicable, respond to the relevant post with your criticism and we’ll discuss it till we get it right. In the same vein, since this is for the benefit of everyone, please feel free to reproduce any and all material posted here anywhere you like. I don’t ask for any foolish copyright or credit. Information is only good if people have access to it.
Please also help or contribute to this project in any way you can. Reply to posts, discuss points, and spread the word to your friends in-game who may not be forum members. Part of this project will be (I hope) to write a short guide to roleplaying each of the classes. Originally, Narissa and I discussed making ‘character kits’ for each class, proposing a few generic ways to play the various professions until your character develops independent status, intended to help new roleplayers get off and running. If this is going to work, I’ll need lots of input from all four cities and all nine professions to do justice to the spirit of each. Thanks in advance for your time, and cheers to you if you read all that!
